Carding-machine.



L. W. CAMPBELL.

OARDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1912.

1,079,392, Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

h iinesses':

L. W. CAMPBELL.

GARDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13, 1912.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I Jrwentofi;

72% W wa 4' lt il'rzessthe carding cylinder.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEON W. CAMPBELL, 0F WOONSOGKET, RHODE ISLANI GAMING-MACHINE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 13, 1912. Serial No. 690,475.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it' known that I, LEON W. CAMPBELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Woonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in carding-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap ertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to carding machines, and more particularly to the mechanism employed in this class of machines for removing the web of fiber from In this class .of machines, as usually operated, the fiber is carried over the top of the main carding cylinder and is' removed therefrom after it has been thoroughly carded by a doifing roll. In order that the machine shall operate efficiently, it is important that substantially all of the fiber be removed from the carding cylinder and thus prevent the gradual ac cumulation of a web of fiber between the teeth of the card clothing which seriously impairs the efficiency of the machine.

The object of the present invent-ion is to provide an improved machine of this type in which substantially all of the fiber and other material is removed from the carding cylinder, maintaining the teeth of the cylinder free and clean and enabling the machine to operate efficiently for an indefinite period without the necessity of stopping the machine and removing the foreign accumulations from the cylinder manually.

With this object in view, the various features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter de scribed and claimed, the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a carding machine embodying the several features of the invention in their preferred form; Fig. 2 is a righthand end elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail illustrating a longitudinal section upon the line 33 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section upon the line 44 of Fig. 3.

The invention is embodied in a carding machine of the usual formconsisting of a large carding cylinder 1 and a licker-in roll 2 and dofiing roll 3 supported upon opposite sides of the cylinder and cooperating therewith to respectively feed the fiber to and remove it from the main cylinder. The carding cylinder rotates in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. 2 and the fiber which is fed in by the roll 2 may be treated by any suitable mechanism (not shown) as it passes over the top of the main cylinder and is then removed by the dofling roll 3, as is usual in this class of machines.

It oftentimes happens that the fiber is not completely removed from the cylinder 1 by the dofiing roll 3 and is carried around upon the cylinder to the licker-in roll 2, where it is packed still more firmly around the teeth of the card clothing by the new layer of fiber which is fed in by the roll 2. This forms an extra layer of fiber upon the cylinder which is ordinarily not removed by the dofling roll and which gradually accumulates upon the cylinder, greatly impairing the efficiency of the machine. In the present invention, improved mechanism is provided for directing a comparatively fine gentle current of air against the under side of the carding cylinder to thoroughly loosen any fiber which is not removed by the dofiing roll and to this end, a blower is supported adjacent to the main cylinder and is moved back and forth lengthwise of the cylinder to cause the jet of air to traverse across the surface of the cylinder and act upon all portions thereof. This blower may consist of any well known means for producing a gentle current of air, but in the simplest and most efficient form of the invention which has yet been devised a rotary fan is employed, and mechanism is provided for continuously rotating the fan as it is moved back and forth beneath the cylinder.

The rotary fan is indicated at 4 and consists of a series of broad blades 5 projecting radially from a hub 6, which is splined to a hollow rotary shaft 14 to cause the fan to deliver a current of air. The fan is caused 'to traverse back and forth lengthwise of the cylinder by a multiple return grooved shaft 16 which is received in the hollow shaft 14 and is operatively connected to the fan 4 by a shoe 17 swiveled in the hub 6 of the fan. The shaft 16 is provided with two series of spiral grooves running in opposite directions and with a return passage at each end of the grooves so that Patented Nov. 25,1913.

as the shaft 16 is rotated, the fan 4 through the shoe 17 is caused to traverse back and forth lengthwise of the shaft, the shoe being shifted automatically from one set of grooves to the other at each end of the shaft by the return passages formed therein.

.The fan is inclosed in a casing 7 which is slidingly mounted upon the shaft 14 and is provided with inlet openings 8 and with a delivery nozzle 9 directed upwardly and shaped to deliver a comparatively fine jet of air against the periphery of the cylinder. The casing is prevented fromrotating with the fan by a guide rod 10 which is secured in the frame parallel with the shaft 1% and which engages with a recessed lug 11 projecting laterally from the casing. The hollow shaft 14 is journaled at one end in a standard 20 of the machine frame and is provided with sleeves 21 and 22 at its opposite ends which receive the shaft 16. The

shaft 16 is journaled at one end in a standard 23 forming a part of the machine frame and is journaled at its opposite end in the sleeve 21 received in the hollow shaft 14. In order to cause the fan to move lengthwise of the shaft 16, a relative rotation of the two shafts issecured by driving them at difi'erent speeds. The shafts are actuated from a pair of sprockets 25 and 26 secured to the shaft 27 of the carding cylinder and connected to the shafts 14 and 16 through chains 28 and 29 and sprockets 30 and 31 respectively. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the sprockets 25 and 26 are of equal size and the sprocket 30 secured to the shaft 1 f is of smaller size than the sprocket 31, thus causing the shaft 14 to be rotated at a higher speed than the shaft 16. With this construction, the fan is rotated at the proper speed and at the same time is" moved back and forth lengthwise of the cylinder, the back and forth traverse of the fan being controlled by the difference in speed of the two shafts and covering several revolutions of the carding cylinder so that the current of air delivered by the fan traces a spiral path around the peripheral surface of the cylinder. The shafts 14 and 16 are respectively held against end play in the bearings by the sprocket 30 and a collar 35 and by the sprocket 31 and a pair' of collars 36 respectively.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, it will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential except so far as specified in the claims, and may be changed or modified without departing from the broader features of the invention.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A carding machine having, in combination, a carding cylinder, a licker-in roll and a dofling roll located upon opposite sides of the cylinder, a blower arranged to 'direct a thin current of air against the cylinder, and mechanism for actuating the blower and moving it lengthwise of the cylinder.

2. A carding machine comprising a carding cylinder, a fan having its nozzle directed toward the cylinder, means for rotating the fan to blow a current of air through the nozzle, and means for moving the fan back and forth lengthwise of the cylinder.

3. A carding machine comprising a carding cylinder, a fan arranged beneath the cylinder, a shaft, connections between the shaft and fan to cause the fan to travel lengthwise of the shaft when the two are relatively rotated, a hollow shaft inclosing the first mentioned shaft and splined to the fan, and means for rotating the two shafts at different rates of speed.

4. A carding machine comprising a carding cylinder, a shaft having a series of spiral grooves formed therein, a hollow shaft inclosing the first mentioned shaft, means for rotating the two shafts at different rates of speed, a fan splined to the hollow shaft, and connections between the fan and first mentioned shaft to cause the fan to be rotated and to traverse back and forth beneath the cylinder.

5. A carding machine comprising a carding cylinder, a fan arranged to direct a current of air against the surface of the cylinder, means for rotating the fan, and means for moving the fan across the surface of the cylinder.

6. A carding machine comprising a carding cylinder, a fan arranged to direct a current of air against the surface of the cylinder, a pair of shafts, means for securing a relative rotation of the shafts. and connections between the fan and shafts to cause the fan to simultaneously rotate and traverse back and forth across the surface of the cylinder.

LEON W. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

BURTON W. CARY, GEORGE E. S'rmmms. 

